‘Becoming Prime Minister not my aim…’: Nitin Gadkari says he declined offer for PM post

NAGPUR: Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitin Gadkari said that he turned down an offer for the Prime Minister’s position from a political leader, stating that becoming PM was not the aim of his life.

Addressing the media fraternity at late Anil Kumar Patrakarita Puraskar Samaroh organised by Vidarbha Gaurav Pratishthan on Saturday, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways said that he is loyal to his conviction and organisation and won’t compromise with that.

“I do not want to name anyone, but a person said to me, ‘if you are going to become a Prime Minister, we will support you’. I said, ‘why you should support me, and why I should take your support’. To become a Prime Minister is not the aim in my life. I am loyal to my conviction and organisation and I am not going to compromise for any post because my conviction is most important to me. I think that this conviction is the biggest strength of Indian democracy”, Gadkari said.

#WATCH | Nagpur, Maharashtra | Union Minister Nitin Gadkari says, “I do not want to name anyone but a person said to me, if you are going to become a Prime Minister, we will support you. I said, why you should support me, and why I should take your support. To become a Prime… pic.twitter.com/yo6QDpqq5b

— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2024

He further said, “Democracy will be successful only when all four pillars — the judiciary, executive, legislature and media — follow ethics”.

During both the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, reportedly Nitin Gadkari’s name emerged in discussion as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate. Gadkari, who has won the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat three times, is a prominent figure in the BJP. He is currently serving as Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways.

He became the Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Minister of Shipping in May 2014. During the second term of the BJP-led central government in 2019, Gadkari retained the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, while the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation were replaced with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises on May 31, 2019.

Gadkari won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Nagpur constituency, defeating his nearest Congress rival by a margin of 1,37,603 votes. However, Gadkari’s winning margin went down by 78,397 in this election. In 2019, he had defeated Congress’ Nana Patole by 2,16,000 votes. The BJP leader first contested from the constituency in 2014, when he won by 2,84,828 votes. (ANI)